News Stories - Page 4

Virtual CAES service-learning course encourages a conservation mindset and meaningful engagement with community partners CAES News
Plants, Pollinators and You
“I had no idea that any of this was out there.” This is the refrain that Bodie Pennisi and Kris Braman hear over and over when students at the University of Georgia enroll in the online course they developed to enlighten students to the wide world of biodiversity, pollinators and their role in protecting both. Co-taught by Pennisi, a professor in the Department of Horticulture, and Braman, head of the Department of Entomology, the official title of the course is “Discover the Wonderful World of Plants and Pollinators and Your Place in It.”
Dalan Animal Health moved to the Delta Innovation Hub on UGA’s campus in the fall of 2022. The company has shipped 500 doses of the world’s first honeybee vaccine, which it developed, to partners in California, potentially protecting as many as 25 million bees. (Photo courtesy of Dalan Animal Health) CAES News
Dalan at Delta
In the fall of 2022, Annette Kleiser was looking for a new professional home. Her company, Dalan Animal Health, was developing the world’s first honeybee vaccine and needed a top research university that offered excellent veterinary and agriculture schools, honey bee research and an established animal health ecosystem. The University of Georgia was just what the doctor ordered.
UGA experts are asking residents to report sighting of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest that causes economic damage to horticultural and agricultural industries. (Photo by Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org) CAES News
Invasive Spotted Lanternfly
State governments are asking people to be on the lookout for an invasive insect pest called spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). University of Georgia experts say vigilant prevention strategies, early detection and timely interventions can help keep them from spreading into Georgia and elsewhere. While they do not bite or sting humans or animals, spotted lanternflies feed on host plants including grape vines, hardwoods, and ornamental and fruiting trees.
The increased temperatures of late summer — particularly those at night — promote mosquito development to their fastest rates of the season. CAES News
Hot Mosquitoes
With the heat dome holding tight over the South and sliding east over Georgia, it is more important than ever to remember the basics of mosquito prevention. Most mosquito species — and there are 63 in Georgia — tend to thrive when it gets hot. The increased temperatures promote mosquito development to their fastest rates of the season.
A closeup image of a yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), which was discovered in Georgia in August. It is the first time the invasive insect, which is a voracious predator of honey bees, has been found in the United States. CAES News
Yellow-Legged Hornet
The Georgia Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have confirmed the discovery of a yellow-legged hornet in Georgia for the first time. This is the first detection of live yellow-legged hornets in the open United States.
UGA Extension coordinator and census creator Becky Griffin holds a commendation from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp honoring the Great Southeast Pollinator Census citizen-science initiative, which is in its fifth year. CAES News
Census Commendation
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census, which will be held Aug. 18 and 19 this year, received a commendation from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in advance of the annual event’s fifth anniversary. The governor honored the contributions of the citizen-science project to the continued health of pollinators in the region.